Anvil buttress loading for a surgical stapling apparatus

ABSTRACT

An end effector of a surgical stapling apparatus includes an anvil buttress and an anvil assembly. The anvil buttress has a proximal end portion including a strap. The anvil assembly includes an anvil body having a proximal end portion and a distal end portion. The proximal end portion has a tissue stop configured to prevent proximal tissue migration. The tissue stop includes a strap lock. The strap lock is configured to secure the strap of the anvil buttress to the anvil assembly to secure the anvil buttress to the anvil assembly.

TECHNICAL FIELD

This application relates to surgical stapling systems and moreparticularly, to systems, devices, and methods for loading buttresses onan anvil of a surgical stapling apparatus.

BACKGROUND

Surgical stapling apparatus are employed by surgeons to sequentially orsimultaneously apply one or more rows of fasteners, e.g., staples ortwo-part fasteners, to body tissue for the purpose of joining segmentsof body tissue together. Such apparatus generally include a pair of jawsor finger-like structures between which the body tissue to be joined isplaced. When the surgical stapling apparatus is actuated, or “fired,”staple drive members in one of the jaws push the surgical staplesthrough the body tissue and into an anvil in the opposite jaw whichforms the staples. If body tissue is to be removed or separated, a knifeblade can be provided in one of the jaws of the apparatus to cut thebody tissue between the lines of staples.

Surgical supports, e.g., meshes or buttress materials, may be used incombination with surgical stapling apparatus to bridge, repair, and/orreinforce tissue defects within a patient such as those occurring, forexample, in the abdominal wall, chest wall, diaphragm, ormusculo-aponeurotic areas of the body. The buttress material reinforcesthe staple line as well as covers the juncture of the tissues to reduceleakage prior to healing. The buttress material can help promote properstaple formation while reducing twisting/malformation caused by anymisalignment of tissue and/or unusual or non-uniform tissue. Thebuttress material can also provide support to weakened tissue, or helpaddress differences in the thickness of tissues.

Accordingly, buttress materials provide clinical benefits. Nonetheless,improvements are desired, for example, to reduce the complexity ofmanufacture and/or application of the buttress materials onto surgicalstapling apparatus or into tissue, or to expand the range of applicationfor use of the buttress materials.

SUMMARY

In an aspect of this disclosure, an end effector of a surgical staplingapparatus includes an anvil buttress and an anvil assembly. The anvilbuttress has a proximal end portion including a strap. The anvilassembly includes an anvil body having a proximal end portion and adistal end portion. The proximal end portion has a tissue stopconfigured to prevent proximal tissue migration. The tissue stopincludes a strap lock. The strap lock is configured to secure the strapof the anvil buttress to the anvil assembly to secure the anvil buttressto the anvil assembly.

The tissue stop may define a buttress slot positioned to receive theproximal end portion of the anvil buttress therein. The buttress slotmay include a receiving channel and a retention cavity that areseparated by the strap lock. The receiving channel may extend through adistal end face of the tissue stop. The receiving channel and theretention cavity may be disposed in registration with one another tofacilitate receipt of the strap therein.

In aspects, the strap lock may include a proximally-extending retentiontooth to retain the strap within the tissue stop.

In various aspects, the strap lock may include a leaf spring that ismovably mounted in the tissue stop to lock the strap within the tissuestop.

In still further aspects, the anvil assembly may include a distal fingerconfigured to retain a distal end portion of the anvil buttress. Theanvil buttress may define a finger aperture therethrough that isconfigured to receive the distal finger of the anvil assembly to securethe distal end portion of the anvil buttress to the anvil assembly.

In various aspects, the anvil buttress may include a pair of wings. Thestrap may extend between the pair of wings.

According to another aspect, this disclosure is directed to an endeffector of a surgical stapling apparatus. The end effector includes afirst jaw member, a second jaw member, and a buttress. The first jawmember includes a body having a proximal end portion, a distal endportion, and an outer side surface. The proximal end portion has atissue stop and a strap lock. The tissue stop extends laterally outwardfrom the outer side surface of the body. The second jaw member iscoupled to the first jaw member to fasten tissue supported between thefirst and second jaw members. The buttress has a proximal end portionincluding a strap configured to engage the strap lock to secure thebuttress to the tissue stop.

In aspects, the tissue stop may define a buttress slot positioned toreceive the strap therein. The buttress slot may include a receivingchannel and a retention cavity that are separated by the strap lock toprevent the strap from moving from the retention cavity to the receivingchannel.

In various aspects, the strap lock may include a proximally-extendingretention tooth to prevent distal movement of the strap relative to thetissue stop.

In some aspects, the strap lock may include a leaf spring that ismovably mounted to the first jaw member to lock the strap within thetissue stop.

In aspects, the first jaw member may include a distal finger configuredto retain a distal end portion of the buttress. The buttress may definea finger aperture therethrough that is configured to receive the distalfinger of the first jaw member to secure the distal end portion of thebuttress to the first jaw member.

According to yet another aspect, this disclosure is directed to asurgical stapling system. The surgical stapling system includes abuttress having a proximal end portion including a strap, a buttressloader supporting the buttress thereon, and an end effector. The endeffector incudes a first jaw member and a second jaw member coupled tothe first jaw member. The first jaw member includes a body having aproximal end portion and a distal end portion. The proximal end portionhas a tissue stop including a strap lock. The first jaw member isconfigured to engage the buttress loader to enable the buttress loaderto mount the buttress on the first jaw member. The first and second jawmembers are positioned to fasten tissue supported between the first andsecond jaw members when the buttress is mounted on the first jaw member.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The above and other aspects, features, and advantages of this disclosurewill be apparent in light of the following detailed description whentaken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, which areincorporated in and constitute a part of this specification, wherein:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a surgical stapling apparatus inaccordance with the principles of this disclosure;

FIG. 2 is an enlarged view of the indicated area of detail shown in FIG.1;

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of an anvil buttress of the surgicalstapling apparatus of FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is a top plan view of the anvil buttress of FIG. 3;

FIG. 5 is a perspective view, with parts separated, of an anvil buttressattachment assembly of a surgical stapling system including the surgicalstapling apparatus of FIG. 1, the anvil buttress attachment assemblyincluding the anvil buttress of FIG. 3 and an anvil buttress loader;

FIG. 6 is a perspective view of the anvil buttress loader of FIG. 5;

FIG. 7 is an enlarged, perspective view of the anvil buttress attachmentassembly of FIG. 5;

FIG. 8 is an enlarged view of the indicated area of detail shown in FIG.7;

FIG. 9 is an enlarged, perspective view of a leading end portion of theanvil buttress loader of FIG. 6;

FIGS. 10-12 are progressive views illustrating the anvil buttressloading unit of FIG. 5 mounting the anvil buttress thereof on an endeffector of the surgical stapling apparatus of FIG. 1;

FIG. 13 is an enlarged, side view of a portion of the end effector ofthe surgical stapling apparatus of FIG. 1 with the anvil buttress ofFIG. 3 mounted thereon;

FIGS. 14 and 15 are progressive views of a portion of an end effector ofthe surgical stapling apparatus of FIG. 1 illustrating the anvilbuttress of FIG. 3 being mounted thereon;

FIG. 16 is an enlarged, side view of a portion of an end effector of thesurgical stapling apparatus of FIG. 1 with the anvil buttress of FIG. 3mounted thereon;

FIG. 17 is an enlarged, side view of an end effector of the surgicalstapling apparatus of FIG. 1 with the anvil buttress of FIG. 3 mountedthereon;

FIG. 18 is an enlarged, side view of a portion of an end effector of thesurgical stapling apparatus of FIG. 1 with the anvil buttress of FIG. 3mounted thereon;

FIG. 19 is a perspective view of a portion of an anvil assembly of theend effector of FIG. 18;

FIG. 20 is an enlarged, side view of a portion of an end effector of thesurgical stapling apparatus of FIG. 1 with the anvil buttress of FIG. 3mounted thereon; and

FIG. 21 is a side, perspective view of a portion of the end effector ofFIG. 20 with the anvil buttress of FIG. 3 mounted thereon.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Aspects of this disclosure will now be described in detail withreference to the drawing figures wherein like reference numeralsidentify similar or identical elements. Throughout this description, theterm “proximal” refers to a portion of a structure, or componentthereof, that is closer to a user, and the term “distal” refers to aportion of the structure, or component thereof, that is farther from theuser. Directional reference terms, such as “top,” “bottom,” “side,” andthe like, are used to ease description of the aspects and are notintended to have any limiting effect on the ultimate orientation of astructure or any part thereof. In the following description, well-knownfunctions or constructions are not described in detail to avoidobscuring this disclosure in unnecessary detail.

Referring now to FIGS. 1-13, a surgical stapling system, in accordancewith this disclosure, includes a surgical stapling apparatus or surgicalstapler 10 and an anvil buttress attachment assembly 100 for use instapling tissue and applying one or more anvil and/or cartridge buttressmaterials or surgical buttresses 200, 300 to the tissue. The surgicalstapling apparatus 10 generally includes a handle assembly 12 and anelongated tubular body portion 14 that extends distally from the handleassembly 12, which may be in the form of an adapter assembly that isselectively removable from handle assembly 12. The elongated tubularbody portion 14 may include a surgical loading unit 16 that isselectively attachable to the elongated tubular body portion 14. An endeffector or jaw assembly 18 extends distally from the elongated tubularbody portion 14 (e.g., a distal end portion of the surgical loading unit16). The jaw assembly 18 includes an anvil assembly 20 and a staplecartridge assembly 22. The jaw assembly 18 may be permanently affixed tothe elongated tubular body portion 14 or may be detachable with respectto the elongated tubular body portion 14 and thus, replaceable with anew jaw assembly 18. The anvil assembly 20 and/or the staple cartridgeassembly 22 is pivotable with respect to the elongated tubular bodyportion 14 such that the anvil and/or staple cartridge assemblies 20, 22is/are movable between an open position in which the anvil and staplecartridge assemblies 20, 22 are spaced apart with respect to each other(FIG. 2) and a closed position (not shown) in which the anvil and staplecartridge assemblies 20, 22 are substantially adjacent each other.

The handle assembly 12 of the surgical stapling apparatus 10 includesany number of actuators 12 a, 12 b, 12 c to facilitate a firing of jawassembly 18, an articulation and/or rotation of the jaw assembly 18relative to handle assembly 12, and/or an opening and/or closing ofanvil and/or cartridge assemblies 20, 22 to clamp tissue therebetween.Jaw assembly 18 is configured to apply lines of staples (not shown) totissue captured between the anvil and staple cartridge assemblies 20, 22when fired.

For a detailed description of the structure and function of exemplarysurgical stapling apparatus, one or more components of which may beincluded, or modified for use with the disclosed aspects, reference maybe made to U.S. Pat. Nos. 8,256,656, 7,819,896, and 7,128,253 as well asU.S. patent application Ser. No. 16/387,882, filed Apr. 18, 2019, theentire contents of each of which is incorporated herein by reference. Itshould be appreciated that principles of this disclosure are equallyapplicable to surgical stapling apparatus having other configurationssuch as, for example, the types described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 7,334,717,5,964,394, and 5,915,616, the entire contents of each of which isincorporated herein by reference. Accordingly, it should be understoodthat a variety of surgical stapling apparatus may be utilized with thesurgical buttresses and/or surgical buttress applicators or loaders ofthis disclosure such as, for example, laparoscopic staplers, openstaplers, transverse anastomosis staplers, and end-to-end anastomosisstaplers having a circular staple cartridge and anvil, as well as staplecartridge assemblies housing surgical fasteners other than staples.

As seen in FIGS. 2, 10, 12 and 13, anvil assembly 20 of jaw assembly 18of surgical stapling apparatus 10 includes an anvil body 20 a having aproximal end portion including a tissue stop 20 x configured to preventproximal tissue migration. The tissue stop 20 x having a pair of tissuestop wings 20 b, 20 c that extends outwardly and downwardly fromopposite side surfaces of anvil body 20 a. The pair of tissue stop wings20 b is positioned to extend over and cover a proximal end portion ofstaple cartridge assembly 22. Each wing of the pair of tissue stop wings20 b, 20 c defines a buttress slot 20 d that extends partiallytherethrough such that buttress slots 20 d of the pair of tissue stopwings 20 b, 20 c may be disposed in mirrored relation with one another.For example, as seen in FIG. 10, buttress slot 20 d of wing 20 b extendsproximally from a distal end face 20 e of tissue stop wing 20 b.Buttress slot 20 d includes a receiving channel 20 f for receiving aproximal portion of anvil buttress 200 and a retention cavity 20 g thatis disposed proximal to, and in registration with, receiving channel 20f for retaining a proximal portion of anvil buttress 200 withinretention cavity 20 g. A strap lock 20 h, in the form of aproximally-extending retention tooth, is disposed between receivingchannel 20 f and retention cavity 20 g to capture anvil buttress 200within retention cavity 20 g.

Anvil assembly 20 of jaw assembly 18 further includes a distal endportion having a distal finger 20 i supported between a pair of buttressstops 20 j, 20 k. The buttress stops 20 j, 20 k are disposed proximal todistal finger 20 i.

With reference to FIGS. 3-5, anvil buttress attachment assembly 100 ofsurgical stapling system includes an anvil buttress 200 and an anvilbuttress loader 101 for loading anvil buttress 200 onto surgicalstapling apparatus 10. Anvil buttress 200 includes a buttress body 202having a proximal end portion including a pair of buttress wings 204,206 disposed on opposite sides of buttress body 202. Wings 204, 206 arecoupled to buttress body 202 by wing folding segments 204 a, 206 a thatenable wings 204, 206 to fold toward/away from one another and relativeto buttress body 202. Wings 204, 206 define an upper tab opening 208through a proximal end portion thereof. Wings 204, 206 further include atransverse strap 210 that extends between inner side surfaces of wings204, 206 to connect wings 204, 206 together. Strap 210 is separated froma proximal end of buttress body 202 and includes strap folding segments211 on opposite ends thereof that enable wings 204, 206 to fold relativeto strap 210 as wings 204, 206 fold relative to buttress body 202. Theproximal end portion of buttress body 202 also defines lower tabopenings 212 that extend between outer side surfaces of buttress body202 and the inner side surfaces of wings 204, 206.

Anvil buttress 200 has a distal end portion defining a finger aperture214 configured to receive distal finger 20 i of anvil assembly 20therethrough for supporting anvil buttress 200 on anvil assembly 20 ofjaw assembly 18. Distal end portion of anvil buttress 200 furtherincludes a distal flap 216 secured to a distal end of anvil buttress 200by a transverse fold segment 218 extending along opposite sides offinger aperture 214 to enable distal flap 216 to fold relative tobuttress body 202. Distal flap 216 defines distal tab apertures 216 a,216 b therethrough.

Referring now to FIGS. 5-9, anvil buttress loader 101 of anvil buttressattachment assembly 100 includes a loader body 102 with a tubularconfiguration. Loader body 102 defines a receiving pocket 104 thereinfor supporting anvil buttress 200 and receiving anvil assembly 20therein. Loader body 102 has a proximal end portion having upperproximal tabs 106 and lower proximal tabs 108 that extend proximallyfrom lower body 102. Loader body 102 includes a distal end portiondefining a distal buttress opening 110 through an upper surface ofloader body 102. Loader body 102 further includes distal tabs 112 thatextend proximally from loader body 102 into distal buttress opening 110.

With reference to FIGS. 10-12, with anvil buttress 200 mounted to anvilbuttress loader 101 (e.g., slip-fit via tabs 106, 108, and 112), anvilbuttress loader 101 is advanced over anvil assembly 20 so that strap 208cams through receiving channel 20 f of buttress slot 20 d along straplock 20 h until strap 208 of anvil buttress 200 is disposed proximal ofstrap lock 20 h and captured within retention cavity 20 g of buttressslot 20 d by strap lock 20 h so that the proximal end portion of anvilbuttress 200 is secured to anvil assembly 20. As strap 210 of anvilbuttress 200 cams through buttress slot 20 d, distal finger 20 i ofanvil assembly 20 extends through finger aperture 214 of anvil assembly20 so that distal flap 216 of anvil buttress 200 abuts against stops 20j, 20 k of anvil assembly 20 to secure the distal end portion of anvilbuttress 200 to the distal end portion of anvil assembly 20. When anvilbuttress 200 is secured to anvil assembly 20, wings 204, 206 and distalflap 216 of anvil buttress 200 remain folded upwardly so that wings 204,206 and distal flap 216 extend transverse (e.g., perpendicular) tobuttress body 202 to facilitate retention of anvil buttress 200 on anvilassembly 20. Once the proximal and distal end portions of anvil buttress200 are secured to anvil assembly 20, anvil buttress loader 101 can bedrawn distally away from anvil assembly 20 so that anvil buttress 200slides off anvil buttress loader 101 and remains attached to anvilassembly 20. Surgical stapling apparatus 10 can then be used to securebuttress to tissue upon a firing of surgical stapling apparatus 10. Ascan be appreciated by persons of ordinary skill in the art, a knifeassembly (not shown) cuts through strap 210 (and buttress body 202) uponfiring of surgical stapling apparatus so that anvil buttress 200 canslide off anvil assembly 20 as surgical stapling apparatus 10 is drawnproximally away from anvil buttress 200.

Turning now to FIGS. 14 and 15, one aspect of an anvil assembly,generally referred to as anvil assembly 520 includes a strap lock in theform of a leaf spring 522 that is configured to flex, from an initial,unflexed position, to a flexed position as strap 210 cams therealong, asindicated by arrow “A.” Leaf spring 522 is also configured to snap backto the unflexed position, from the flexed position, as indicated byarrows “B” when the strap 210 passes proximally past leaf spring 522 andinto retention cavity 20 g. Leaf spring 522 can be angled to reduce anamount of bending or flexing thereof for enabling strap 210 to bereceived within retention cavity 20 g.

As seen in FIGS. 16-19, the leaf spring can be provided in any suitableconfiguration such as leaf spring 622, leaf spring 722, and leaf spring822. In aspects, any of these leaf springs can be configured to act likea pawl and can be provided in any suitable arrangement, for example, toenable inward and/or outward flexing of such leaf springs.

With reference to FIGS. 20 and 21, in some aspects of anvil assembly 20,anvil assembly 20 can include any suitable arrangement of buttress slotssuch a single buttress slot 900. Buttress slot 900 extends from a bottomsurface of one of tissue stop wings 20 b through a curvilinear receivingchannel 902 that guides strap 210 of anvil buttress 200 upwardly andproximally into retention cavity 904. Buttress slot 900 can bepositioned to cause strap 210 to cam and stretch along contours oftissue stop wings 20 b, 20 c of anvil assembly 20 for guiding strap 210into buttress slot 900.

The surgical buttresses of this disclosure may be fabricated frombiocompatible materials which are bioabsorbable or non-absorbable,natural or synthetic materials. It should be understood that anycombination of natural, synthetic, bioabsorbable, and/ornon-bioabsorbable materials may be used to form the surgical buttresses.The surgical buttresses may be biodegradable (e.g., formed frombioabsorbable and bioresorable materials) such that the surgicalbuttresses decompose or are broken down (physically or chemically) underphysiological conditions in the body, and the degradation products areexcretable or absorbable by the body. Components or portions of thesurgical buttresses may be formed from the same material or differentmaterials.

In aspects, at least a portion of the surgical buttresses are made frombiodegradable materials selected from the following group: naturalcollagenous materials, cat gut, and synthetic resins including thosederived from alkylene carbonates, trimethylene carbonate, tetramethylenecarbonate, caprolactone, valerolactone, dioxanone, polyanhydrides,polyesters, polyacrylates, polymethylmethacrylates, polyurethanes,glycolic acid, lactic acid, glycolide, lactide, polyhydroxy butyrates,polyorthoester, polyhydroxy alkanoates, homopolymers thereof, andcopolymers thereof. In aspects, at least a portion of the surgicalbuttresses may be made from non-biodegradable materials selected fromthe following group: polyolefins, polyethylene, polydimethylsiloxane,polypropylene, copolymers of polyethylene and polypropylene, blends ofpolyethylene and polypropylene, ultra high molecular weightpolyethylene, polyamides, polyesters, polyethylene terephthalate,polytetrafluoroethylene, polyether-esters, polybutester,polytetramethylene ether glycol, 1,4-butanediol, and polyurethanes.

The surgical buttresses may be porous, non-porous, or combinationsthereof. Suitable porous structures include, for example, fibrousstructures (e.g., knitted structures, woven structures, and non-wovenstructures) and/or foams (e.g., open or closed cell foams). Suitablenon-porous structures include, for example, films. The surgicalbuttresses, or portions thereof, may be a non-woven structure formed bymelt-blown or melt-spun methods, a mesh material, a braid material,and/or a molded or extruded sheet. The surgical buttresses, or portionsthereof, may be a single porous or non-porous layer, or include aplurality of layers including any combination of porous and/ornon-porous layers.

The surgical buttresses may be provided and/or sold as part of thebuttress loader and/or loading unit. Alternatively, the surgicalbuttress(es), the buttress loader, and/or the loading units may beprovided and/or sold separately and assembled by the user. In aspects,one or more surgical buttresses, one or more buttress loaders, and/orloading units are provided in a kit. In some aspects, the kit furtherincludes one or more end effectors (and/or surgical loading units) and,in certain aspects, the kit further includes a surgical stapler.

In any of the aspects disclosed herein, the surgical buttresses caninclude, or be used with, brachytherapy, chemotherapy, other medicalmaterials or pharmaceuticals. The buttress portion of the surgicalbuttress can have pockets, apertures, or other features for retainingbrachytherapy seeds with the buttress portion, or brachytherapy seeds ormaterials can be incorporated into a suture or sutures that are threadedinto or through the buttress portion or otherwise attached thereto. Acoating having brachytherapy materials can be applied to a buttressportion of a surgical buttress by spraying or dipping. Chemotherapypharmaceuticals or agents can be incorporated into the buttress portionof the surgical buttress, coated thereon, or otherwise applied as partof a suture or other feature secured to the buttress portion.

As can be appreciated, securement of any of the components of thepresently disclosed apparatus can be effectuated using known securementtechniques such welding, crimping, gluing, fastening, etc.

The various aspects disclosed herein may also be configured to work withrobotic surgical systems and what is commonly referred to as“Telesurgery.” Such systems employ various robotic elements to assistthe clinician and allow remote operation (or partial remote operation)of surgical instrumentation. Various robotic arms, gears, cams, pulleys,electric and mechanical motors, etc. may be employed for this purposeand may be designed with a robotic surgical system to assist theclinician during the course of an operation or treatment. Such roboticsystems may include remotely steerable systems, automatically flexiblesurgical systems, remotely flexible surgical systems, remotelyarticulating surgical systems, wireless surgical systems, modular orselectively configurable remotely operated surgical systems, etc.

The robotic surgical systems may be employed with one or more consolesthat are next to the operating theater or located in a remote location.In this instance, one team of clinicians may prep the patient forsurgery and configure the robotic surgical system with one or more ofthe instruments disclosed herein while another clinician (or group ofclinicians) remotely controls the instruments via the robotic surgicalsystem. As can be appreciated, a highly skilled clinician may performmultiple operations in multiple locations without leaving his/her remoteconsole which can be both economically advantageous and a benefit to thepatient or a series of patients. For a detailed description of exemplarymedical work stations and/or components thereof, reference may be madeto U.S. Pat. No. 8,828,023, and PCT Application Publication No.WO2016/025132, the entire contents of each of which are incorporated byreference herein.

Persons skilled in the art will understand that the structures andmethods specifically described herein and illustrated in theaccompanying figures are non-limiting exemplary aspects, and that thedescription, disclosure, and figures should be construed merely asexemplary of particular aspects. It is to be understood, therefore, thatthe present disclosure is not limited to the precise aspects described,and that various other changes and modifications may be effected by oneskilled in the art without departing from the scope or spirit of thedisclosure. Additionally, it is envisioned that the elements andfeatures illustrated or described in connection with one exemplaryaspect may be combined with the elements and features of another withoutdeparting from the scope of the present disclosure, and that suchmodifications and variations are also intended to be included within thescope of the present disclosure. Indeed, any combination of any of thepresently disclosed elements and features is within the scope of thepresent disclosure. Accordingly, the subject matter of the presentdisclosure is not to be limited by what has been particularly shown anddescribed.

What is claimed is:
 1. An end effector of a surgical stapling apparatus,the end effector comprising: an anvil buttress having a proximal endportion including a strap; and an anvil assembly, the anvil assemblyincluding an anvil body having a proximal end portion and a distal endportion, the proximal end portion having a tissue stop configured toprevent proximal tissue migration, the tissue stop including a straplock, the strap lock configured to secure the strap of the anvilbuttress to the anvil assembly to secure the anvil buttress to the anvilassembly.
 2. The end effector of claim 1, wherein the tissue stopdefines a buttress slot positioned to receive the proximal end portionof the anvil buttress therein.
 3. The end effector of claim 2, whereinthe buttress slot includes a receiving channel and a retention cavitythat are separated by the strap lock.
 4. The end effector of claim 3,wherein the receiving channel extends through a distal end face of thetissue stop.
 5. The end effector of claim 3, wherein the receivingchannel and the retention cavity are disposed in registration with oneanother to facilitate receipt of the strap therein.
 6. The end effectorof claim 1, wherein the strap lock includes a proximally-extendingretention tooth to retain the strap within the tissue stop.
 7. The endeffector of claim 1, wherein the strap lock includes a leaf spring thatis movably mounted in the tissue stop to lock the strap within thetissue stop.
 8. The end effector of claim 1, wherein the anvil assemblyincludes a distal finger configured to retain a distal end portion ofthe anvil buttress.
 9. The end effector of claim 8, wherein the anvilbuttress defines a finger aperture therethrough that is configured toreceive the distal finger of the anvil assembly to secure the distal endportion of the anvil buttress to the anvil assembly.
 10. The endeffector of claim 1, wherein the anvil buttress includes a pair ofwings, the strap extending between the pair of wings.
 11. An endeffector of a surgical stapling apparatus, the end effector comprising:a first jaw member including a body having a proximal end portion, adistal end portion, and an outer side surface, the proximal end portionhaving a tissue stop and a strap lock, the tissue stop extendinglaterally outward from the outer side surface of the body; a second jawmember coupled to the first jaw member to fasten tissue supportedbetween the first and second jaw members; and a buttress having aproximal end portion including a strap configured to engage the straplock to secure the buttress to the tissue stop.
 12. The end effector ofclaim 11, wherein the tissue stop defines a buttress slot positioned toreceive the strap therein.
 13. The end effector of claim 12, wherein thebuttress slot includes a receiving channel and a retention cavity thatare separated by the strap lock to prevent the strap from moving fromthe retention cavity to the receiving channel.
 14. The end effector ofclaim 13, wherein the receiving channel extends through a distal endface of the tissue stop.
 15. The end effector of claim 13, wherein thereceiving channel and the retention cavity are disposed in inregistration with one another to facilitate receipt of the straptherein.
 16. The end effector of claim 11, wherein the strap lockincludes a proximally-extending retention tooth to prevent distalmovement of the strap relative to the tissue stop.
 17. The end effectorof claim 11, wherein the strap lock includes a leaf spring that ismovably mounted to the first jaw member to lock the strap within thetissue stop.
 18. The end effector of claim 11, wherein the first jawmember includes a distal finger configured to retain a distal endportion of the buttress.
 19. The end effector of claim 18, wherein thebuttress defines a finger aperture therethrough that is configured toreceive the distal finger of the first jaw member to secure the distalend portion of the buttress to the first jaw member.
 20. A surgicalstapling system, comprising: a buttress having a proximal end portionincluding a strap; a buttress loader supporting the buttress thereon;and an end effector including: a first jaw member including a bodyhaving a proximal end portion and a distal end portion, the proximal endportion having a tissue stop including a strap lock, the first jawmember configured to engage the buttress loader to enable the buttressloader to mount the buttress on the first jaw member; and a second jawmember coupled to the first jaw member, the first and second jaw memberspositioned to fasten tissue supported between the first and second jawmembers when the buttress is mounted on the first jaw member.